Grenades are explosive devices used by various personnel, such as law enforcement personnel or military officers, as a projectile to attack a target at a distance from a thrower. There are various types of grenades available, such as a fragment grenade, stun grenade, smoke grenade, incendiary grenade, etc. When used, grenades create an explosion which is intended to injure, emit a blaring noise, create smoke, and the like. Grenades may be thrown through a window or door of a crime location, such as a room in a house, and the like, to temporarily distract the occupants for a time sufficient to enable the law enforcement personnel to safely enter the location and neutralize any potential threats.
The grenade is held in a throwing hand with the thumb placed over a grenade lever while a safety pin is pulled out of a safety pin hole. When the grenade is thrown, the grenade lever is released, a spring throws off the grenade lever and rotates the striker into the primer. The primer contains material similar to the head of a match. When struck, it ignites and sets fire to the fuse. The fuse burns at a controlled rate, providing a time delay, for example about four to five seconds. When the flame of the fuse reaches a detonator the grenade explodes.
In order to separate the safety pin from the grenade, the user that throws the grenade is required to hold the grenade in one hand then pull the safety pin in the other hand, thus requiring the use of both hands in the handling of the grenade. A user that operates the grenade in both hands cannot operate the single weapon at the same time. During operation, removal of the grenade from a pouch and separating the safety pin from the grenade may be inconvenient, time consuming and intricate, factors which are critical to the success of situations requiring the use of grenades.